Newport IT firm launches child-friendly PC

A2Z Computing has developed and launched a hybrid PC capable of being used as a tablet and a laptop for accelerated learning among young people.

The Fizzbook Duo has taken six years to develop, with initial plans drawn up in 2009. In that time, numerous prototypes have been developed and tested, with the final model sporting a 10.1-inch screen and a lower-case keyboard.

The firm, based in Newport, is in talks with council bodies, SEN/AEN organisations and schools throughout Wales to deliver the computer to children.

It supplies clients with hardware such as PCs, laptops and tablets, including software for public services. There are currently seven people employed at A2Z, though there’ll be a series of new appointments throughout the year as growth continues.

Az Ashraf, director of A2Z Computing, said: “Fizzbook Duo offers a new flexibility when it comes to learning. Whether it’s used on a classroom desk in laptop mode or remotely in tablet mode, students have full access to quality education both in school and at home.

“It was designed to fit in with children’s lifestyles. Young people have busy lives just as much as adults these days. The simple transition from laptop to tablet mode ensures that the device is usable in any setting – whether that be in the car, sat in a doctor’s surgery or on the sofa.

“The feedback we have received so far us that we have something special. We ran a pilot scheme with a local primary school. And despite a council body being forced to withdraw its support, the headteacher was full of praise for the Fizzbook Duo’s usability, its impact on the children in terms of increased ability and confidence and the benefits it can have on those children with a wide range of special and additional needs.”